John Ritter

Background

About John Ritter

Although I have been teaching geology, environmental science, and GIS for over 30 years, I have always looked for opportunities to highlight its applications and engage students in problems of local significance to keep my teaching vibrant and fresh. These opportunities have also allowed me to maintain, even advance, my skill sets as a geologist, from incorporating new instrumentation and technology to employing new methods of data analysis to accompanying them. Much of this work culminates in peer-reviewed publications or presentations. Three recent examples illustrate this: • The Clark Soil and Water Conservation District (CSWCD) wanted to assess the utility of a mapping drone for office work. A student and I recently worked on a proof of concept to determine the viability of using aerial surveys and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry for replacing or enhancing traditional ground surveys. Aerial surveys were conducted on two fields, both being evaluated for drainage improvements, using an RTK mapping drone with GNSS base station. The resulting digital surface models (DSMs) compared favorably with ground survey and industry-produced DSMs based on RMSE analysis, matching the accuracy of the ground survey with a minimal number of ground control points. • An 18-hole municipal golf course, managed by National Trail Parks and Recreation District (NTPRD), closed in 2014 without a post-closure plan. Located at the confluence of two rivers, it could provide multiple ecosystem services, including flood storage and soil and nutrient retention. Students helped establish a network of shallow groundwater monitoring wells, several instrumented with loggers, survey high-water marks, and model flood storage. Data were used to develop an excavation plan to promote flood storage for the park district to use during restoration of the former course. • Meandering of a local stream threatened to undermine a bike path on property managed by NTPRD. Instead of hardscaping the eroding cutbank, I devised a pilot plan to demonstrate the use of log veins as a sustainable solution. A student intern working with NRTPD helped install a series of log veins and monitor subsequent changes in the channel position as the meander was redirected downstream. Similar solutions have since been adopted by the flood conservancy to manage bank erosion along other reaches. I continue to look for new opportunities in which to engage as a geologist with expertise in small watershed hydrology, soils geomorphology, Quaternary mapping, and GIS and spatial data analysis.